Handle for suspending intravenous solution bottles

ABSTRACT

A plastic handle for bottles which allows the bottle to be suspended neck down from a suitable support device for administering the contents of the bottle. The handle has two bails attached to it, thereby providing an additional measure of safety while the bottle is thus suspended. In addition, severable lugs hold the bails in position until such time as they are required to support the bottle. The entire device, including a band which is attached to the bottle and the supporting bails, is formed as an integral unit by an injection molding process. The device is made of a thermoplastic material having high temperature resistance properties, which thus allows assembly of the handle device to the bottle immediately after manufacture and subsequent auto-claving of the completed package after filling with a suitable pharmaceutical material.

United States Patent 1 Stengle, Jr.

- 51 Feb. 20, 1973 HANDLE FOR SUSPENDING INTRAVENOUS SOLUTION BOTTLES[75] Inventor: Edward J. Stengle, Jr., Toledo,

Ohio

[73] Assignee: Owens-Illinois, Inc.

[22] Filed: Nov. 23, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 91,955

[52] U.S. Cl. ..2l5/l00 A, 220/94 R, 294/3 l .2 [51] Int. Cl ..B65d23/60, 865d 25/32 [58] Field of Search ..2l5/l00 A; 220/94 R, 94 A;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,982,434 5/1961 Hidding..215/100 A 2,051,940 8/1936 Chichester-Miles.... ..220/94 A 3,220,59111/1965 Hidding ..215/100 A 3,114,455 12/1963 Claisse et al. ..206/56 AB3,278,018 10/1966 Ishler et al ..206/56 AB 3,589,764 6/1971 Cunninghamet a1. 3,119,541 1/1964 Lynn ..2l5/100A 3,137,423 6/1964 Tupper ..220/94R Primary Examiner-Joseph R. Leclair Assistant Examiner--Stephen MarcusAttorney-J. M. Rice and E. J. Holler [57] ABSTRACT A plastic handle forbottles which allows the bottle to be suspended neck down from asuitable support device for administering the contents of the bottle.The handle has two bails attached to it, thereby providing an additionalmeasure of safety while the bottle is thus suspended. In addition,severable lugs hold the bails in position until such time as they arerequired to support the bottle. The entire device, including a bandwhich is attached to the bottle and the supporting bails, is formed asan integral unit by an injection molding process. The device ismade of athermoplastic material having high temperature resistance properties,which thus allows assembly of the handle device to the bottleimmediately after manufacture and subsequent auto-claving of thecompleted package after filling with a suitable pharmaceutical material.

8 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures HANDLE FOR SUSPENDING INTRAVENOUS SOLUTIONBOTTLES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the art ofhandles and, more particularly, to a handle for bottles. Moreparticularly, the invention is adaptable for use with pharmaceuticalbottles used in the administering of intravenous solutions.

The support of bottles for the administering of intravenous solutionshas been a continuing problem. A common device to allow suspension ofthese types of bottles has been a two-piece assembly. The bail of thedevice has been fashioned from wire and the collar by which the bail isattached to the bottle has been fashioned from a strip of sheet metaland secured to the bottle by various means. Such devices are shown inUS. Pat. Nos. 3,195,228 and 3,195,759. These devices are inconvenient touse and have also led to problems during the administering of thesolutions. The bails may pull from the supporting collar and therebylead to interruptions in administering the solution. Furthermore, suchtwo-piece assemblies are expensive to manufacture and difficult toassemble.

One-piece molded plastic handles for such containers, similar to thosedisclosed in the US. Pat. Nos. 2,982,434 and 3,220,591, have eliminatedmany of the problems associated with the older two-piece metalassemblies. However, these plastic handles still have but a single bailto support the bottle and are commonly held onto the bottle by amechanical wedging action. Thus, it is possible for the entire handledevice to be pulled from the bottle, or it is possible for the singlebail to break during the administering process. The result in eithercase is an undesirable interruption in the administering process.

The handles of the prior art have commonly been made from plasticmaterials which do not have high temperature stability. Thus, it hasbeen necessary to place the handle on the container as the final step inthe process, after the filled container has been auto-claved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to handledevices and, more specifically, to a handle device for a pharmaceuticalbottle used for administering intravenous solutions.

The invention is one-piece molded thermoplastic handle device adaptedfor use on pharmaceutical bottles. The handle is molded in one piece andincludes four primary elements: (I) a band to grip the pharmaceuticalbottle; (2) four hinges; (3) two bails or handles to support the bottle;and (4) attachment lugs to hold the bails in a fixed position relativeto the band prior to use. The lugs have molded in score lines, whichallow the bails to be easily severed from the lugs without the necessityof cutting the bails free from the lugs. Pharmaceutical bottles of thetype for which this handle device is designed commonly have acircumferential groove adjacent to the bottom of the container to acceptsome sort of handle device. The band of the present invention wouldnormally have an axial dimension slightly less than the axial dimensionof the circumferential groove. The circumference of the band would beequal to or slightly greater than the circumference of the groove. Thus,the band would be assembled to the container by heating the band, theexpansion of the band thereby allowing it to be slipped into positionover the ledge defined by the edge of the circumferential groove in thebottle. Upon cooling of the band, it would grip the pharmaceuticalbottle, making removal of the handle extremely difficult. Thus, whilethe band can be removed from the bottle only with great difficulty, theband may allow the bottle to be rotated relative to the band to alignthe bottle graduations in a desired location. The radius of each bail ispreferably slightly more than the radius of the band. Thus, the bailsprotrude beyond the side wall of the container and thereby act as abumper, preventing abrasion from bottle to bottle contact duringhandling. Both bails and the band are coaxial rather than coplanar.Thus, to use the handle device the bails are torn loose from theprescored lugs, and rotated approximately 90, at which point the bailsare substantially perpendicular to the band. The bottle may now besuspended from a suitable hanger for administering the contents. It isdesirable that the band be assembled to the pharmaceutical bottle priorto filling of the container. It is necessary that the band material beable to withstand an autoclave cycle with its attendant hightemperatures on the order of 250 F. Such a material is a rubber modifiedpolypropylene. In addition to the advantage of the high temperatureresistance, rubber modified polypropylene is also an excellent hingematerial, thereby providing an extremely strong hinge between the bandand the bails.

IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a pharmaceutical bottleof the type used to contain intravenous solutions.

' FIG. 2 is a perspective view, showing the handle assembled onto thebottle.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the plastic the bottle.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the bottle-handle combination with thebails of the handle raised into position for suspension of the bottle.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross section taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 2.

AS SHOWN IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows a pharmaceutical bottle of thetype with which the handle device herein disclosedis par ticularlyadapted for use. The bottle is generally designated as 1 and includes asubstantially flat end portion 2, a circumferential groove 3, adjacentto the substantially flat end portion 2, and a finish 4.

In FIG. 3, the entire handle device is generally designated as 5. Thehandle device 5 is an integrally molded plastic partwhich comprisesseveral coacting elements. A band 10, defining a closed loop, is adaptedto fit into the circumferential groove 3 of the bottle 1. Attached tothe band 10 are two tabs, 20 and 21. Bails 30, 31 are attached to thetabs 20, 21 at two diametrically opposed hinge points 15. The bails 30,31 are further held in a fixed position relative to the band 10 by meansof severable lugs 35, 36. As shown, each bail 30 or 31 has one lug 35 or36 centrally positioned between the respective hinge points 15; however,additional lugs with adjusted spacing may be provided as desired. Theselugs have molded in score lines 40, 41,

handle for which allow the bails 30, 31 to be separated from the lugs35, 36.

As may be seen in FIG. 2, the band 10 is adapted to fit into the groove3 of the bottle 1 (shown in phantom lines), since the groove 3 isslightly wider than the band 10. However, the width of the groove 3 isless than the combined width of the band 10 and bails 30, 31;accordingly, as best seen in FIG. 5, the bails 30,.31 will rest on aledge defined by the edge of the groove 3. The bails will be in theposition shown in FIG. 2 until such time as the contents of the bottleare to be administered. As may be seen, the lugs 35, 36 hold the band 10and the bails 30, 31 in a fixed relative position. Thus, the completedpackage may be safely conveyed without fear of the bails 30, 31 assuminga random position and thereby creating the possibility of entanglementof successive packages.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, the bails 30, 31 protrude beyond thesidewall of bottle 1 and thus serve as bumpers to protect the sidewallsof bottle 1 from abrasions caused by bottle to bottle contact duringhandling and conveying (during, for example, the autoclave operation)and shipping.

In FIG. 4, the combined package comprising the bottle 1 (shown inphantom lines) and the handle 5 is shown in the configuration suitablefor administering the contents of the bottle 1. To achieve thisconfiguration, the bails 30, 31 are separated from the lugs 35, 36 atthe molded in score lines 40, 41. The bails 30, 31 are then rotatedabout the hinge points 15 from a position substantially parallel to theband to a position substantially perpendicular to the band 10.

It has been found that the handle device may best be manufactured from arubber modified polypropylene material. A material that has provenparticularly successful for this purpose is Shell WM 610, manufacturedby The Shell Chemical Co., Plastics and Resins Div., Box 700, Woodbury,NJ. The handle device is preferably injection molded, using such rubbermodified polypropylene material.

What is claimed is: v

1. In combination, a bottle having a substantially flat end portion anda sidewall with an external circumferential groove adjacent to said end,and a handle device to support said bottle while the contents thereofare administered, said handle device comprising an endless band ofthermoplastic material, said band being received in said groove firmlygripping said bottle, said band having a pair of tabs extending fromdiametrically opposed portions thereof in a direction parallel to thelongitudinal axis of said bottle, and two bails formed integrally withsaid tabs, eachof said bails having opposite ends connected to therespective tabs at hinge points, said bails being rotatable about saidhinge points from a position parallel to said bottle end to a positiongenerally perpendicular to said bottle end, the axial width of said bandbeing less than the axial width of said circumferential groove, and theaxial width of said handle device being greater than the axial width ofsaid circumferential groove.

2. A handle device as defined in claim 1 wherein the radial dimension ofsaid bails is greater than the radial dimension of said band.

3. A handle device as defined in claim 1 further in cludin attachment luition d between the res ective tabs, said lugs b i n g goined to theband and the respective bails, said lugs being severable therefrom uponrotation of the bails.

4. In combination, a bottle having a substantially flat end portion anda sidewall with an external'circumferential groove adjacent to said end,and a handle device to support said bottle while the contents thereofare administered, said handle device comprising an endless band ofthermoplastic material, said band being received in said groove firmlygripping said bottle, said band having a pair of tabs extending fromdiametrically opposed portions thereof, and two bails formed integrallywith said tabs, each of said bails having opposite ends connected to therespective tabs at hinge points, said bails being rotatable about saidhinge points from a position parallel to said bottle end to a positiongenerally perpendicular to said bottle end, the axial width of said bandbeing less than the axial width of said circumferential groove, and theaxial width of said handle device being greater than the axial width ofsaid circumferential groove.

5. A handle device as defined in claim 4, further including attachmentlugs positioned between the respective tabs, said lugs being joined tothe band and the respective bails, said lugs being severable therefromupon rotation of said bails.

6. A handle device as defined in claim 4, wherein the circumference ofsaid hand both before and after application to said bottle is at leastequal to the circumference of the bottle .at' said groove.

7. A handle device as defined in claim 4, wherein said handle device isfabricated from rubbermodifie polypropylene.

8. A handle device as defined in claim 4, wherein the radial dimensionof said bails is greater than the radial dimension of said band.

I t t t

1. In combination, a bottle having a substantially flat end portion anda sidewall with an external circumferential groove adjacent to said end,and a handle device to support said bottle while the contents thereofare administered, said handle device comprising an endless band ofthermoplastic material, said band being received in said groove firmlygripping said bottle, said band having a pair of tabs extending fromdiametrically opposed portions thereof in a direction parallel to thelongitudinal axis of said bottle, and two bails formed integrally withsaid tabs, each of said bails having opposite ends connected to therespective tabs at hinge points, said bails being rotatable about saidhinge points from a position parallel to said bottle end to a positiongenerally perpendicular to said bottle end, the axial width of said bandbeing less than the axial width of said circumferential groove, and theaxial width of said handle device being greater than the axial width ofsaid circumferential groove.
 1. In combination, a bottle having asubstantially flat end portion and a sidewall with an externalcircumferential groove adjacent to said end, and a handle device tosupport said bottle while the contents thereof are administered, saidhandle device comprising an endless band of thermoplastic material, saidband being received in said groove firmly gripping said bottle, saidband having a pair of tabs extending from diametrically opposed portionsthereof in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of said bottle,and two bails formed integrally with said tabs, each of said bailshaving opposite ends connected to the respective tabs at hinge points,said bails being rotatable about said hinge points from a positionparallel to said bottle end to a position generally perpendicular tosaid bottle end, the axial width of said band being less than the axialwidth of said circumferential groove, and the axial width of said handledevice being greater than the axial width of said circumferentialgroove.
 2. A handle device as defined in claim 1 wherein the radialdimension of said bails is greater than the radial dimension of saidband.
 3. A handle device as defined in claim 1 further includingattachment lugs positioned between the respective tabs, said lugs beingjoined to the band and the respective bails, said lugs being severabletherefrom upon rotation of the bails.
 4. In combination, a bottle havinga substantially flat end portion and a sidewall with an externalcircumferential groove adjacent to said end, and a handle device tosupport said bottle while the contents thereof are administered, saidhandle device comprising an endless band of thermoplastic material, saidband being received in said groove firmly gripping said bottle, saidband having a pair of tabs extending from diameTrically opposed portionsthereof, and two bails formed integrally with said tabs, each of saidbails having opposite ends connected to the respective tabs at hingepoints, said bails being rotatable about said hinge points from aposition parallel to said bottle end to a position generallyperpendicular to said bottle end, the axial width of said band beingless than the axial width of said circumferential groove, and the axialwidth of said handle device being greater than the axial width of saidcircumferential groove.
 5. A handle device as defined in claim 4,further including attachment lugs positioned between the respectivetabs, said lugs being joined to the band and the respective bails, saidlugs being severable therefrom upon rotation of said bails.
 6. A handledevice as defined in claim 4, wherein the circumference of said bandboth before and after application to said bottle is at least equal tothe circumference of the bottle at said groove.
 7. A handle device asdefined in claim 4, wherein said handle device is fabricated from rubbermodified polypropylene.